Retailer Primark is to increase hourly pay for 27,000 retail employees so they benefit from an average 9.1% pay rise.
From 1 April, the organisation will increase its average hourly pay rates for all retail assistants across England, Scotland and Wales from £11 to £12, and from £11.51 to £12.56 for those in London. As a result of the rise, a retail employee will have seen their hourly rate increase on average by more than 20% over the last two years.
Last year, the retailer announced that it planned to scrap age-related pay rates for employees aged 23 and under.
Employees will continue to benefit from a 15% year-round discount alongside a range of other perks, such as wellbeing initiatives, an employee assistance programme, flexible shifts, a pension scheme, and development opportunities.
Kari Rodgers, UK retail director at Primark, said: “Our employees do a brilliant job every day serving our customers and we want everyone to be fairly rewarded and recognised for their hard work. We hope this pay increase goes some way towards demonstrating our continued thanks for all that they do in our stores and for our customers.”
In total, Primark employs more than 30,000 workers across its UK retail operations and head office. In January, it announced that it will invest more than £100 million in its UK stores this year.